Notes: Includes plan, fragments, final text

LENIN'S COLLECTED WORKS
____________ /______
"Theses on the Tasks of the Left Zimmerwald Socialists in the Swiss Social Democratic Party" were written, apparently, for a report or series of reports by Lenin on the situation in the Swiss Social Democracy. The first point in the document "*" gives reason to think that these theses were intended chiefly for Russian members of the Swiss Social Democratic Party, or generally for Russian Social Democratic émigrés.

In content, the theses have undoubted considerable similarity with the theses "On the Attitude of the Swiss Social Democratic Party to the Question of War" (cf. documents on p. 84) and with the theses "Tasks of the Left Zimmerwald Socialists in the Swiss Social Democratic Party" (cf. document on p. 104).

* THESES ON THE TASKS OF THE LEFT ZIMMERWALD
SOCIALISTS IN THE SWISS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
DECEMBER 1916

A.

* PLAN OF THESES.

1. Introduction (Presumptuousness?)
2. Federal Financial Reform...
   Connection with "Revolutionary Mass Struggles."
   Reform versus Revolution.
   Struggle Against Rising Cost of Living.
   (a) for indirect taxes
   (β) stamp tax does not burden??
   (γ) 3 theses "for social purposes"??
   great versus lesser deterioration
   Reactionary versus progressive bourgeoisie
   Who represents socialism?
   Political deals
   Freethinking decisions and speeches

* From the word "Connection" ("связь") to the word "Rising Cost of Living" ("дороговизной") was written in pencil. (N.)

THESES ON THE DISCUSSION

Documents "b" and "c" were written following the excerpt from "Grütlianer" (see p. 30); document "a" was written on a sheet of postal paper inserted in the same notebook. Together with four documents appended to the theses "Tasks of the Left Zimmerwald Socialists in the Swiss Social Democratic Party," the entire contents of this notebook are published in the present collection (see pp. 24–50, 54, and below 90–98), with the exception of two notes by Lenin (1) on the question of indirect taxes and 2) concerning E. Wulschleger's book "On the Question of the Equality of Foreign Workers") and statistical data on Switzerland.

A.

* PLAN OF THESES.

1. Introduction (Presumptuousness?)
2. Federal Financial Reform...
   Connection with "Revolutionary Mass Struggle."
   Reform or Revolution.
   Struggle Against Rising Cost of Living.
   (a) for indirect taxes.
   (β) stamp tax does not burden??
   (γ) 3 theses "for social purposes"??
   greater or lesser deterioration
   Reactionary or progressive bourgeoisie in comparison
   with progressive
   who is the representative of socialism?!
   political deals
   freethinking decisions and speeches

LENIN'S COLLECTED WORKS

Evaluation:
"Frankfurter Zeitung"
"Neue Zuricher Zeitung"
"Luzerner Tageblatt"
[Wettstein?]
Discussion in "Basler Vorwarts"...........
3. Revolutionary Propaganda Against Rising Cost of Living.
"Utopian"?
(a) and National Defense?
(β) only "Russian"?
(γ) Holland. (Program).¹
(δ) America
Grimm's Theory "In General."²
Incorrect.......
Bourgeois-Pacifist.³
Concretely?
"Under the Condition"???⁴
Independent Theses of the Left.
5. Grütli Association
O. Lang: ("we were correct")⁵ Frankfurter Zeitung⁶
Greulich.⁷
6. Trade Unions.
Metallarbeiter Zeitung. I. H. + E. Th.
Grimm's Theses § 9.⁸
7. Practically?
Too quickly?
[Liebknecht]

B.

* FRAGMENT OF THESES.

1. (Introduction)
   Actually for Russians.
   For Discussion. Not a finished draft, but an invitation to
   discussion.

2. Financial Reform.
   Social Democracy for indirect taxes?

C.

* THESES ON THE DISCUSSION OF THE TASKS OF THE LEFT
ZIMMERWALD SOCIALISTS IN THE SWISS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

I.

1. Introduction.
   Actually for Russian Social Democrats—
   Members of the Swiss Party.
   Discussion from the International point of
   view (Simmel)
   Invitation to discussion

II.

2. Financial Reform.
3. For indirect taxes?
4. Stamp tax "shall not burden" the masses?
5. "For social purposes" "3 theses"?
6. Greater versus lesser deterioration.
7. Reactionary bourgeoisie versus progressive.
8. Who is the representative of socialism?
9. A secret deal (veiled)
   (Freethinking—left wing—young radicals).
10. Bourgeois press. "Frankfurter Zeitung."
    "Neue Zuricher Zeitung."
    "Luzerner Tageblatt."
    (Wettstein?)
11. Discussion in "Basler Vorwarts."⁹

III. 
12. Direct taxes? instead of Struggle against
    Rising Cost of Living.
13. Expropriation of Large Enterprises and Large
    Incomes. (Illustrative).
14. Utopian?
15. And—Rejection of National Defense?
16. Only "Russian"?
17. Holland.
18. America.
19. "Revolutionary Mass Struggle" for?
20. Objective Conditions. "Grütlianer" Threatens with
    Revolution.

IV. 
21. Military Question.
22. Grimm's Theses Unsatisfactory, and all Entrances
    and Exits Left Open (Again for the Grütlians).
23. "In General"
24. Bourgeois Pacifism? Only Bourgeois?
25. For Switzerland—International???¹⁰
26. "Under the Condition"?
27. Clear and Precise Answer—Lacking
28. "Grütlianer" on Grimm's Theses.¹¹
29. Independent (Theses) of the Left. Draft.

V. 
30. Grütli Association.
31. O. Lang: "we were correct."
32. Principled Struggle.
33. "Frankfurter Zeitung" on the "Grütli Association."
34. Greulich on this 29.6.16.
35. Education of the Masses? "In General" only Against
    Social-Patriotism.
36. Strongholds and Methods of the Grütli Association.

VI. 
37. International in Switzerland.
38. The Guilbeaux Case.

VII. 
39. Trade Unions.
40. Neutral or Partisan?
41. Bogey—Split.

42. Already Now Struggle of Directions.
43. Discussion in "Metallarbeiter Zeitung."
44. Grimm's Theses, § 9 at the end.

VIII. 
45. Practical Steps?
46. All?----Platform
    Speakers
    Association (cf. in "...* Mandl")
    Publishing House.
47. Only the Swiss themselves can decide and judge
    this. Only invitation to discussion.
48. Too hastily?
    cf. Liebknecht. What Consists his Greatness?

---

¹ The reference is to a program of action proposed by the Dutch Left and published in No. 3 of the "Bulletin of the I.S.C." of 29 February 1916.

² The reference is to the second and third points of Grimm's theses on the military question (see p. 45), where Grimm speaks of "the imperialist character of bourgeois governments of the great powers and small countries in general," but does not emphasize the connection of the Swiss government with imperialist bourgeoisie concretely.

³ The reference is to the sixth point of Grimm's theses, where he criticizes bourgeois pacifism, but says nothing about social-patriotism (see p. 49).

⁴ The reference is to the ninth point of Grimm's theses (see p. 51), where he conditions the revolutionary action of Swiss workers against war on the simultaneous action of the proletariat of all belligerent countries.

⁵ In his report on the attitude of the Social Democratic Party toward the Grütli Association at the Zurich party conference (4–5 November 1916), O. Lang attempted to prove that the leadership pursued a "correct" line toward the Grütlians. See in more detail p. 37, note 7.

⁶ The reference is to the correspondence published in the German bourgeois newspaper "Frankfurter Zeitung" on 9 November 1916 about the Zurich party conference of the Swiss Social Democratic Party, held 5–6 November 1916. The author expresses hope that the Grütlians will yet be able to return to the bosom of the Swiss Social Democratic Party and continue to exert their beneficial influence. See in more detail p. 25.

⁷ The reference is to Greulich's open letter of 26 September 1916, published in the newspaper "Grütlianer" of 8 October. In the letter Greulich reproaches the Grütlians for not supporting him in his struggle against the radical wing of the party. See in more detail p. 25.

⁸ In the Swiss metalworkers' newspaper ("Metallarbeiter Zeitung") of 16 and 30 September 1916, two notes appeared signed I. H. + E. Th., directed against imperialist war. The editorial note points out that trade unions should not concern themselves with the question of war or think of any political actions. See in more detail pp. 25 and 27. At the same time Grimm in the ninth paragraph of his theses speaks of the fact that in case of war the party should organize mass strikes jointly with the organs of the trade unions (see p. 51).

⁹ See p. 29.

¹⁰ The eighth point of Grimm's theses, containing practical proposals for combating military danger, is divided into two parts: 1) International tasks and 2) national tasks (see pp. 49–51).

¹¹ The reference is to the note published in "Grütlianer" of 25 July 1916 concerning Grimm's theses on the military question (see p. 31).

* MATERIALS FOR THE THESES: "TASKS OF THE LEFT ZIMMERWALD
SOCIALISTS IN THE SWISS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY."
DECEMBER 1916

The four documents printed below represent materials for the theses "Tasks of the Left Zimmerwald Socialists in the Swiss Social Democratic Party" (see Works, vol. XIX, pp. 355–342).

The first preliminary plan (document "a") was written in ink in two columns on the last sheet of the notebook following the note "Grimm's Theses." Additional remarks